It seems the now infamous shortage of Xbox 360s in North America is coming to a close as some retailers are finally starting to have consoles available on the shelves. The numbers aren’t great, but it’s an improvement over past reports.
Meanwhile, speculation, mystery and “unnamed sources” are making news in relation to the PS3 as Sony remains unwilling or unable to make an official announcement about its upcoming release. Reports have the console making its debut anytime between this spring and sometime next year. And, it seems, as long as Sony stays tight-lipped, anyone’s guess is good.
Both the Xbox 360 and the yet-to-launch PS3 have suffered from problems with manufacturing. In the case of the 360, Microsoft chose to go ahead and get the machine on the market; Sony seems to be taking a wait-and-see stance.
In a research note to investors this week, American Technology Research analyst PJ McNealy indicates that the Xbox 360 shortage that has dogged the platform since its North American launch last November is almost over.
"We surveyed 125 retailers late last week, and 21 percent had at least one Xbox 360 Core ($299 version) console in stock," McNealy wrote. "Most also reported receiving shipments last week and are now seeing a relatively steady flow after stock-outs abounded for most of December and January."
ATR found that 26 stores had Xbox 360s to sell, but 21 of those only had Core units, and most had only one to three units in stock. Of the 125 retailers, McNealy suggested only two had "decent inventory," with one store having 10 Premium units, and another having seven Premium and six Core.
GameSpot
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